| Beverley Martyn | |
|---|---|
 Beverley Martyn's 2001 album No Frills
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Beverley Kutner |
| Born | England |
| Genre(s) | folk, folk rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist |
| Years active | 1965–present? |
| Label(s) | Island Records Voiceprint Records |
| Associated acts |
John Martyn |
Beverley Martyn, born Beverley Kutner, was still a student when she was picked to front "The Levee Breakers", a Jug band who played the folk circuit in South East England. At the age of 16 she made her first single 'Babe I'm Leaving You' which was released on the Parlophone label in 1965. Beverley was then signed as a solo artist to the Deram label. In 1966 she released a single 'Happy New Year' (flipside 'Where The Good Times Are') written by Randy Newman, and accompanied by Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Nicky Hopkins. 'Happy New Year' was chosen, together with 'I Love My Dog' by Cat Stevens, to launch Deram as the progressive branch of Decca (see references). She also recorded an unreleased single in the same year, 'Picking Up The Sunshine/ Gin House Blues'. During this period she was taught the guitar by the legendary folk guitarist Bert Jansch who also encouraged her song writing. Closely involved with the folk scene at the time, she met Paul Simon who invited her to New York where she contributed to the track 'Faking It' on the Simon and Garfunkel album 'Bookends'. She later appeared with Simon and Garfunkel at the Monterey Pop Festival. In 1969 Beverley met, and later married, John Martyn and as a duo they issued 2 acclaimed albums, Stormbringer! and The Road to Ruin both of which were released on Island Records. Following 'The Road to Ruin', Island persuaded John to resume his career as a solo artist because they believed that there was more public interest in solo singer/songwriters. Although she was spending more time with her children, Beverley continued to contribute to John's solo projects. However, John's increasingly 'rock and roll' lifestyle and in particular, his heavy use of drink and drugs, led to the breakdown of the marriage. The couple divorced during the making of John's album Grace and Danger in 1980 and Beverley retired from the business for a number of years. In the 1990s, with her children now grown up, Beverly was invited to join Loudon Wainwright III on his European tour and her performance was very well received. In 2001 she resumed her recording career with the release of the album No Frills. At various times, Beverley has worked with Levon Helm, Jimmy Page, Dave Pegg, Richard Thompson, John Renbourn, Ralph McTell, Davy Graham, Sandy Denny and Nick Drake. She appeared in the photograph on the album cover of Bert Jansch's 1965 album It Don't Bother Me where she can be seen lounging in the background.
